The Gambler chords by Don Schlitz

Chords with lyrics

Intro
C majorC FF C majorC FF C majorC A minorAm G+G
C majorC FF C majorC FF C majorC G+G C majorC

verse 1
C majorC              FF          C majorC
On a warm summer's evening, on a train bound for nowhere
FF         C majorC       A minorAm         G+G
I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to sleep
C majorC              FF           C majorC
So we took turns a-staring out the window at the darkness
FF          C majorC  G+G       C majorC
The boredom overtook us and he began to speak
      C majorC           FF            C majorC
He said, "Son, I've made my life out of reading people's faces
A minorAm          C majorC         A minorAm          G+G
And knowing what the cards were by the way they held their eyes
C majorC                   FF         C majorC
So if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces
FF          C majorC     G+G         C majorC
For a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice"
C majorC                 FF         C majorC
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow
A minorAm        C majorC      A minorAm       G+G
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light
C majorC                    FF         C majorC
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression
    FF             C majorC          G+G        C majorC
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right"

C majorC                 FF         C majorC
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
FF       C majorC    A minorAm      G+G
Know when to walk away, know when to run
      C majorC   G+G  C majorC         FF       C majorC
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table
      FF        C majorC         G+G    C majorC
There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done

verse 2
C majorC             FF        C majorC
Now, every gambler knows, the secret to survivin'
A minorAm         C majorC      A minorAm       G+G
Is knowing what to throw away, knowing what to keep
    C majorC             FF       C majorC
'Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser
    A minorAm      C majorC        G+G      C majorC
And the best you can hope for, is to die in your sleep

C majorC                FF             C majorC
So when he'd finished speakin', he turned back toward the window
A minorAm          C majorC     A minorAm      G+G
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep
C majorC                  FF        C majorC
Then somewhere in the darkness, the gambler he broke even
FF         C majorC         G+G        C majorC
But in his final words, I found an ace that I could keep

C majorC                 FF         C majorC
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
FF       C majorC    A minorAm      G+G
Know when to walk away, know when to run
      C majorC   G+G  C majorC         FF       C majorC
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table
      FF        C majorC         G+G    C majorC
There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done